Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Irresistible Force by D.D. Ayres (Review)

When adrenaline runs high, so does the force of desire…For Shay Appleton, it’s love at first sight when a gorgeous stray dog is brought into the animal shelter where she works. She just knows he’ll make a terrific watch dog—and with an abusive ex who won’t let go, she needs all the protection she can get. But Shay never suspected that her new pet is actually a trained police K-9 named Bogart—until Bogart’s even more gorgeous, human partner shows up on her doorstep.Officer James Cannon is one tall, strong alpha male who’s convinced that Shay stole his dog. But once he gets closer to the suspect, he realizes that this stubborn, independent woman not only needs a guard dog, she needs James as well. It seems that someone from her past is stalking her, and threatening her life. When danger meets desire, will James risk his career and his best friend…to protect the woman who’s stolen his heart?

Irresistible Force is the newest release from author D.D. Ayres. The blurb sounded great, and the cover was hot as hell – plus I seem to be in a little bit of a romantic suspense phase, so this book fit right in to what I was looking for.. I was very excited to try a new author – and I wasn’t let down.
There are basically three main characters in this book. James, who is a cop, Shay, who is our heroine and having a bit of a rough patch, and Bogart (a.k.a. Prince), the canine at the center of it all. I’m not even sure where to start, so I’m going with the dog! Bogart!! First, what an awesome name. Through a sick and twisted turn of events, he ends up in the hands of Shay, who doesn’t realize he is K-9, but does realize he is something special and awesome. Bogart is not only a police dog, he is a great big huge heart wrapped in the middle of some doggy fur. He was great! Of course, dogs can’t speak actual words, but Bogart had plenty to say, and I know my doggy loving friends will be as wowed by him as I was.

James is his handler, but we may as well say owner. The two have bonded and are as tight as partners on the force could be. James is absolutely distraught when Bogart goes missing. But aside from Bogart, James is a terrific and upstanding guy. He is caring, daring, and sexy – a favorite combo of mine, by far. He instantly has an attraction for Shay, and he acts on it. I can’t tell you how much I loved that. I was so happy to see someone just going for it, rather than waiting and wondering.

Now let’s talk about Shay. Oooooh my goodness. This girl. She could have a whole book just from her backstory. The girl has got history, and on top of her tragic history, she has a habit of running and not standing up when she really needed to. But you know, she’s growing, and in this book she grows by leaps and bounds. I really liked her. She took herself to an uncomfortable place and made it work for her. She becomes this strong woman, and you can’t help but be proud of her. Characters like her just resonate with me, I love to cheer for them and when I catch myself smiling over their accomplishments, it’s a win.

So of course, there are sparks galore between Shay and James, definitely some mighty fine chemistry. And some amazing kisses! But there is so much more at play here. There are devious and manipulative exes on both sides. Seriously – those exes are the worst!! I couldn’t even decide which one I hated more, and I couldn’t fathom how either James or Shay ended up with such idiots! The only question through the book – is the suspense part of the plot from them, or someone else entirely?

And that’s where this book is awesome. You don’t find out until you need to who is behind the mayhem of vandalism and menacing phone calls, and threats of violence. D.D. Ayress did a great job of keeping me entertained, interested, and wondering who the heck was behind it all. And while there were times in the beginning I felt like it lagged for a page or two, the rest of the story more than made up for it with high tension, romance, suspense and mystery. If you are a fan or romantic suspense, and our four legged friends making their way into the story, then you definitely want to read Irresistible Force.